Fans familiar with actor Ryan Phillippe's body of work might be surprised with his performance in his new film "The Lincoln Lawyer." In the movie, Phillippe plays Louis Roulet, a young man who is introduced to the audience as someone wrongly convicted of murder. We later learn that Phillippe's character, who at first appears to be tortured and innocent, is not all he seems to be.

Without getting too far into spoiler territory (although there are a few very minor spoilers to follow), when MTV News sat down with Phillippe during the film's press day recently, we asked him what it took to get into the head of a suspected murderer — particularly an intense scene that required Phillippe to become violent with a woman.

"Well, if there was an uncomfortable point shooting the film or something that was a challenge, it was that [scene] for me," he said. "Because I'm very sensitive. I have three sisters, I have a daughter, and so the idea of roughing up a woman is completely disgusting to me," he revealed. "I worried about the actresses and the stunt girls."

Phillippe went on to say that he felt like a monster shooting that particular scene, but that it became a powerful aspect of the film, as was intended in the script.

"It's part of the story and you have to get yourself there and be that guy," he said.

Naturally, that type of person is not someone Phillippe identifies with, but he said he enjoyed the opportunity to tackle a role that was so far removed from himself.

"It keeps me engaged and I love exploring the mind-set of someone that's completely different," he said. "I grew up lower-middle-class, so my parents struggled to pay the bills. So I'm not this guy from privilege and from access and wealth," he explained. "But I do like trying to figure out who that is."